Sarah Has Another New Blog!

The kind folks over at Babble have seen fit to let me have my very own blog over on Babble Voices. I call it That's Right. You Heard Me.

Go check it out. They let me say whatever I want.

Suckers.

Why I Am Trying to be Healthy

Why am I trying to be healthy? That is a loaded question. There are so many reasons - vanity, longevity, I don't feel like buying new clothes, I feel better when I am healthy.

But the most important reason is easy. I try to be healthy to set a better example for my children.

I am not the biggest fan of exercise - or I wasn't until I realized that on the days I spent even 20 minutes on the elliptical I slept better, I cried less and my back didn't hurt.

I also seemed a lot less hypocritical when I made my kids exercise.

The same is true for eating. If I eat an apple or banana every day with lunch not only do my children see that I practice what I preach, they also see that it is normal. And maybe we don't all need dessert for every single meal.

I went to a panel this year at BlogHer 11 about owning your own beauty. The panelists talked a lot about how we can make our daughters see that they are beautiful by leading by example. It isn't about being thin, it is about being healthy.

I recently hired a personal trainer and I was so careful not to tell my daughter (who at age 7 has no body fat whatsoever and is 75% legs) that I was working out not to lose weight, but to get into better shape, to be stronger, to be healthier.

And I am. After three months I am stronger. I feel better. I am setting a better example of how grown ups can fit exercise into their lives ever day.

Well, maybe not every day, but at least four times a week.

Marie Callender's is trying to help it make easier for us to be healthy in a hurry.

Today I tried the Cheesy Chicken and Rice meal. It was only 380 calories and very, very filling.

The Cheesy Chicken & Rice is one of the nine one-dish entrees that Marie Cellender's offers for under 500 calories. Not bad, huh?

I try to be healthy for my kids and for my sanity. And you?

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Marie Callender's and The Motherhood sponsored this post, but these are my words and my opinions.

Sarah Struggles With Portion Control

Portion control is not my strong suit.

When the folks at The Motherhood and Marie Callender's suggested I write about portion control this week I chuckled. Besides beer, portion control is probably my biggest struggle when it comes to weight loss.

You know how when you buy a bag of Doritos you eat some and then put a chip clip on the bag and walk away? Yeah. I eat the entire bag. I am a like a dog - I will eat until my stomach explodes.

(When I first typed that sentence I typed "I am like a god" which is also true if you find eating a whole bag of Doritos a super human skill.)

So portion control is a problem for me.

When I went to pick out my three Marie Callender's meals I got a Chicken Teriyaki first. I know that teriyaki is great in low calorie meals and rice is good in frozen meals. For my second week I went out on a limb. I got the Smoky Cheddar Mac & Uncured Bacon.

I admit it. I was skeptical. Cheese, pasta and bacon for 380 calories? I figured it would either have like three noodles in it or taste like artificial sweetener, but the truth was not only was it good, there was plenty of food.

AND IT WAS ONLY 380 CALORIES.

And it was only $ 3.19.

Had I made a box of my regular mac and cheese it would have been 400 calories a serving, and you know I'm not measuring a serving.

I think today was a win. I'll definitely buy it again. This is a great choice for something to keep in the freezer for a super busy work day.

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Marie Callender's and The Motherhood sponsored this post, but these are my words and my opinions.